In the beginning was Park(ing) day, a two-hour exercise in guerilla urbanism by the design collective Rebar that appropriated a Mission Street parking space for two hours in service of hanging out. Now it's a worldwide celebration every September. This image is from 2013: the San Francisco office of the landscape firm SWA turned a swath of Battery Street outside the old Federal Reserve Bank into a free-range agrarian fantasy. less

In the beginning was Park(ing) day, a two-hour exercise in guerilla urbanism by the design collective Rebar that appropriated a Mission Street parking space for two hours in service of hanging out. Now it's a ... more

Photo: Michael Short / The Chronicle

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The 2013 goat-let (my name) by SWA, from above.

The 2013 goat-let (my name) by SWA, from above.

Photo: Michael Short / The Chronicle

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Not all one-day installations are elaborate. A favorite of mine from 2010, on Mission Street.

Not all one-day installations are elaborate. A favorite of mine from 2010, on Mission Street.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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The first permanent parklet dates back to 2010 and remains in place outside Mojo Bicycle Café on Divisidero Street.

The first permanent parklet dates back to 2010 and remains in place outside Mojo Bicycle Café on Divisidero Street.

Photo: Amy Osborne / The Chronicle

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The second was near Valencia Street on 22nd near Bartlett. Cozy inviting design by Rebar -- but regulars at the nearby clubs kept it hopping from dusk till almost dawn, and it was removed a few years later.

The second was near Valencia Street on 22nd near Bartlett. Cozy inviting design by Rebar -- but regulars at the nearby clubs kept it hopping from dusk till almost dawn, and it was removed a few years later.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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Another Rebar parklet is one of the more visually startling: a bicycle truck was split and had seats added to the middle with wood paneling for a homey feel. Installed in 2012 and located at Fillmore and Filbert streets, it drew threats of eviction from Supervisor Mark Farrell -- but the storm passed, and the vehicular parklet continues to spin its wheels while turning heads. less

Another Rebar parklet is one of the more visually startling: a bicycle truck was split and had seats added to the middle with wood paneling for a homey feel. Installed in 2012 and located at Fillmore and ... more

Photo: Sean Havey / The Chronicle

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Isabella Baker talks to Jonathon Rocket, both from New York, at the parklet outside Rapha Cycle Club on January 3, 2013.

Isabella Baker talks to Jonathon Rocket, both from New York, at the parklet outside Rapha Cycle Club on January 3, 2013.

Photo: Sean Havey / The Chronicle

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One of the newest parklets is on Valencia between 24th St. and 23rd St.; it was conceived by the Exploratorium working with the San Francisco Boys and Girls Clubs, Its name is "Ciencia Pública," and it doubles as a public science project on water sustainability. less

One of the newest parklets is on Valencia between 24th St. and 23rd St.; it was conceived by the Exploratorium working with the San Francisco Boys and Girls Clubs, Its name is "Ciencia Pública," and it ... more

The only parklet with bleacher-style seating is on Yosemite Avenue in the Bayview near Third Street, outside of Trouble Coffee. An industrial look for an industrial look, and worth a visit for the aesthetics alone. less

The only parklet with bleacher-style seating is on Yosemite Avenue in the Bayview near Third Street, outside of Trouble Coffee. An industrial look for an industrial look, and worth a visit for the aesthetics ... more

Photo: Amy Osborne / The Chronicle

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An equally distinctive parklet -- and one of my favorites -- is by Reveille Coffee where Kearny Street meets Columbus Avenue. The design is by Sagan Piechota Architecture, and it's a nimble three-tier adjustment to the slope where Telegraph Hill begins. less

An equally distinctive parklet -- and one of my favorites -- is by Reveille Coffee where Kearny Street meets Columbus Avenue. The design is by Sagan Piechota Architecture, and it's a nimble three-tier ... more

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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The sidewalk view of the Sagan Piechota parklet on Kearney near Columbus; yes, it is ADA accessible.

The sidewalk view of the Sagan Piechota parklet on Kearney near Columbus; yes, it is ADA accessible.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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Among the fans of the Reveille parklet on Kearny near Columbus: the planning department's Robin Abad Ocubillo, who oversees the parklet program.

Among the fans of the Reveille parklet on Kearny near Columbus: the planning department's Robin Abad Ocubillo, who oversees the parklet program.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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Another favorite of mine is the parklet installed by Devil's Teeth Baking on Noriega Street near 46th Avenue in the Outer Sunset. The twist here is the use of diagonal spaces, which allows a deeper setting with room to spread out for visitors of all ages. The design, BTW, is by Matarozzi Pelsinger. less

Another favorite of mine is the parklet installed by Devil's Teeth Baking on Noriega Street near 46th Avenue in the Outer Sunset. The twist here is the use of diagonal spaces, which allows a deeper setting ... more

There's also a diagonal-space parklet headed to Berkeley, outside the ever-popular eatery Saul's on Shattuck Avenue. The design is by Trachtenberg Architects; no ETA, but apparently permits have been issued. less

There's also a diagonal-space parklet headed to Berkeley, outside the ever-popular eatery Saul's on Shattuck Avenue. The design is by Trachtenberg Architects; no ETA, but apparently permits have been ... more

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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The theoretical view from inside out of the Saul's parklet to come in Berkeley, by Trachtenberg Architects.

The theoretical view from inside out of the Saul's parklet to come in Berkeley, by Trachtenberg Architects.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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And for those of you who haven't been to Berkeley since Cody's Book's closed, there already IS a Berkeley parklet -- outside the ever-popular Cheeseboard Pizza.

And for those of you who haven't been to Berkeley since Cody's Book's closed, there already IS a Berkeley parklet -- outside the ever-popular Cheeseboard Pizza.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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Indeed, there's a correlation between popular food-related destinations and lively parklets. This is at the popular Haight Street Market.

Indeed, there's a correlation between popular food-related destinations and lively parklets. This is at the popular Haight Street Market.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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The parklet at Haight Street Market, you-know-where. A little graffiti but a lot of life.

The parklet at Haight Street Market, you-know-where. A little graffiti but a lot of life.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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Corrugated steel, rusted and ribbed -- say what you like about the design of the parklet outside Magnolia Pub on the 1300 block of Haight Street, no VW bug will send it flying.

Corrugated steel, rusted and ribbed -- say what you like about the design of the parklet outside Magnolia Pub on the 1300 block of Haight Street, no VW bug will send it flying.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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The most unusual parklet is "Deepistan National Parklet" -- installed not by a business or community group, but the owners of this house on the 900 block of Valencia Street.

The most unusual parklet is "Deepistan National Parklet" -- installed not by a business or community group, but the owners of this house on the 900 block of Valencia Street.

And before we close, a coming attraction: the parklet about to be installed outside the Museum of Craft and Design on Third Street in Dogpatch. The design is by Bionic, a landscape architecture firm.

And before we close, a coming attraction: the parklet about to be installed outside the Museum of Craft and Design on Third Street in Dogpatch. The design is by Bionic, a landscape architecture firm.

Photo: John King / The Chronicle

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Unsure whether you're allowed to linger at a parklet if you don't buy something nearby? Here's the official sign required by the San Francisco Planning Department. Blunt and bold and to the point: no purchase necessary! less

Unsure whether you're allowed to linger at a parklet if you don't buy something nearby? Here's the official sign required by the San Francisco Planning Department. Blunt and bold and to the point: no purchase ... more

Photo: San Francisco Planning Dept. / San Francisco Planning Dept.

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An architectural tour of ... parklets?

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Back to Gallery

Say what you like about Parklets — and there are detractors as well as devotees — they are now an established part of the scenery not only in San Francisco, but beyond.

The initiative to convert parking spaces into pocket-sized plazas turned 5 in March, and as I wrote in a survey of the low-slung landscape,

The best parklets combine design ambition with a genuine desire to engage passersby. Others are no more than glorified sidewalk seating for the businesses that install and maintain them. They are, in short, as varied and problematic as the city in which they were born.

Here’s something else: They’re fun — accessible installations that show the thin line between public space and public art. En masse, you can’t help but be entertained by the range of possible responses to the challenge of creating space for people to sit in, safely, between a sidewalk and an automotive path. Some even win awards!